Title: Out-of-Plane Strengthening of Masonry Walls with Inorganic Composites

Author(s): Marta Del Zoppo, Marco Di Ludovico, Alberto Balsamo and Andrea Prota

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 360

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 395-402

Keywords: FRM; inorganic composites; masonry walls; out of plane; seismic strengthening.

DOI: 10.14359/51740638

Date: 3/1/2024

Abstract:
Unreinforced masonry buildings (URM) are particularly vulnerable to local out-of-plane failure mechanisms of the walls during earthquakes. This study investigates the effectiveness of a relatively novel class of inorganic composite materials, namely Fibre Reinforced Mortars (FRM), for the out-of-plane strengthening of masonry walls. Experimental tests by using a setup to perform out-of-plane tests on masonry panels, part of an enlarged ongoing testing campaign, are presented herein. Two types of masonry walls are investigated: solid clay brick masonry walls and tuff masonry walls. The specimens are subjected to compressive axial load and out-of-plane horizontal actions according to a “four-point bending test” scheme. Two specimens are reinforced before testing with FRM in double-side configuration, while other two specimens are tested in their bare configuration. Experimental results in terms of capacity curves and deformed shapes are reported and discussed. The preliminary results attest that FRMs are effective in increasing the out-of-plane capacity of masonry walls and in postponing the activation of the out-of-plane failure mechanism.